Explore the mystical and holy Hindu city of Varanasi. Take a memorable sunrise boat trip down the Ganges River and be enthralled by the thousands of devotees who come to the banks of the river to absolve themselves of their sins. Witness the bathing ghats and centuries-old temples, and explore the narrow winding lanes in search of exquisite silks, brassware and stunning saris. On your free day, take an optional visit to Sarnath, known as the birthplace of Buddhism and the site of the enlightened Buddha’s first sermon.
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Day 1 Arrive Varanasi
Arrive in Varanasi any time where you are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Varanasi is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi has a unique culture, quite different from other places in the region. This culture has developed through thousands of years during which it has been one of the major cultural centres of northern India. Everything revolves around the river Ganga, which is the heart and soul of the city. Varanasi has produced some of the most well-known musicians, philosophers, poets and writers in Indian history. It even has its own dialect, which is quite different from other dialects of the region.
Varanasi is a pure vegetarian town – no eggs, no meat or fish and no alcohol (within a certain distance of the river Ganges). Visit Chaat Gali, a street of vendors selling the spiciest chaat (savoury snack) in the state. A visit to Varanasi is incomplete without tasting paan. It is the perfect end to any meal and comes in many varieties – stuffed with gulkhand, cardamom, or grated coconut.
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Day 2 Varanasi (B)
You will be picked up early in the morning for your city tour and boat tour on the Holy River Ganges. From dawn to dusk the ghats along the riverfront of the Ganges River are thronged with thousands of devotees performing holy rituals, hoping to attain eternal salvation or 'Nirvana'. There are about more than 100 ghats altogether, they cover 6km of the river from Assi ghat as far as Adi Keshava Ghat near the Malviya Bridge. They are a celebration of life and the time -honoured rites of passage. This will be the backdrop to your early morning boat ride when the river is bathed in a magical light and pilgrims come to perform puja to the rising sun.
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Day 3 Varanasi (B)
Today you will have free time to explore the wonders of Varanasi or take an optional excursion to nearby sites.
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Day 4 Depart Varanasi (B)
You are free to depart at any time today.
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No minimum.
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Arrival transfer, Varanasi city tour, boat trip on the Holy river Ganges.
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Eating is a big part of traveling. Traveling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the tour, unless specifically mentioned. There is a huge choice of eating options available in the city. Your local guide or representative or the hotels will be able to suggest favourite restaurants according to your taste and budget. Vegetarians will be able to find a huge range of different foods - India is vegetarian heaven. Please refer to the meals included and budget information.
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We suggest you bring along USD100 for additional sightseeing and pampering treatments!
All prices are per person(unless stated otherwise), and are subject to change as services are provided by third party operators.
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All departure taxes should be included in your international flight ticket.
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Transport is in an air-conditioned vehicle for all arrival/departure transfers and all sightseeing.
G Adventures can arrange flight tickets or train travel to or from the starting point. Prices are available on request. Please note that the price charged will include our administration costs and our local partner's service fee so the ticket cost will be higher than if you purchase it locally or on line. G Adventures will not purchase flight or train tickets until we receive full payment and complete passport details.
Reservations for train tickets in India open between 60-90 days prior to travel and are generally non-refundable. Book on line at www.indianrail.gov.in
Domestic flights can be booked on line. Check out the scheduled and low cost carriers operating throughout the country.
Indian
(merged with Air India) www.indian-airlines.nic.in
Jet Airways www.jetairways.com
Kingfisher www.flykingfisher.com
Spice jet www.spicejet.com
Air Deccan www.airdeccan.net
Go Air www.goair.in
Indigo www.goindigo.in
Air Sahara
(taken over by Jet) www.airsahara.net
Paramount Airways
(south) www.paramountairways.com
MDLR
(regional) www.mdlrairlines.in
Indus Air
(regional) www.idusair.biz
ROADS in India
Traveling by road in India or Nepal is exciting and not quite what many of us are used to. Rules are it would appear arbitrary, speeding, do not stay in their lanes, overtake in seemingly dangerous situations, spare use of lights. Travel time can be long in comparison to Western countries, short distances taking a lot longer than at home.
Land Transfers & Included Tours/activities: Many of the land transfers and included tours will be by private van, car or taxi, while others may be shared with other travellers depending on availability, nature of the activity and destination. For transfers, you may have a local non English-speaking driver only, for included tours, you will be accompanied by an English speaking local guide.
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A variety of accommodation standards are available for Independent tours, see your dossier for the accommodation class specific to your tour. Please remember that hotel/lodge/resort standards can be different from what you are used to in your home country, which is part of the appeal of adventure travel . Porterage is not included, but can be arranged directly at most hotels.
A variety of styles of hotels/guest houses are used in India. These can vary in terms of service, efficiency and cleanliness. In many instances they might not be like what you are used to back home. Power cuts can and are a regular occurrence in many places, especially throughout North and Central India. Although a number of hotels have generators there may be times when these won’t work. It is also recommended when you are in your room to lock the door, as staff will sometime enter without reason.
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Cruising the Ganges River, exploring Varanasi's Old City and marvelling at its ghats.
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Comfort hotel (3 nts)
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Private car/van, boat
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3 Breakfasts
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